Outside plant (OSP) telecommunications equipment, including terminations and splitters, may be housed in protective enclosures. The enclosures may be above ground, or may be below ground. Below-ground solutions are known which store the equipment in a below-ground vault. The vault is typically accessible through a top door.
As demand for telecommunications services increases, optical fiber services are being extended into additional areas. In new construction developments in which future demand for telecommunications services is unknown, it may be cost effective to provide for service capacity which exceeds the current demand. This will allow a telecommunications service provider to quickly and cost-effectively respond to future growth in demand. Optical fiber cables may be extended to a customer's premises prior to that customer actually requesting or needing service. For example, cables may be extended to premises adjacent the premises of a current customer, as it may be cost effective to extend both cables at the same time. Or, the cables may be extended to new building sites in anticipation of the new occupants of those sites requesting fiber optic service.
Large-scale OSP telecommunications equipment may have enclosures which are visually unpleasant. Attempts to conceal this equipment by placing it below the ground can cause difficulties for technicians desiring to access and service the equipment.